Flamingos Begin U-17 Women’s World Cup Campaign Against Poland Today

Nigeria’s Flamingos will begin their campaign at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup against Poland in Rabat, Morocco, on Saturday.

The Group B encounter is scheduled for 6pm Nigerian time at the Women’s Football Complex as the 24-team tournament kicks off and runs until November 7.

The Flamingos secured their place at the competition after defeating Benin in the final round of African qualifiers. They head into the tournament in impressive form, having won the WAFU-B U-17 Girls’ Championship in Ivory Coast last month.

Nigeria won all five matches at the regional competition, scoring 17 goals and conceding just one. They capped their campaign with a 4-0 victory over Togo in the final.

Head coach Akeem Busari has named a 21-player squad for the tournament. The team arrived in Morocco on October 7 and has since intensified preparations, focusing on tactical drills and adapting to the local conditions.

Captain Harmony Chidi is expected to spearhead Nigeria’s attack after scoring five goals during the African qualifiers and adding three more at the WAFU-B championship.

Goalkeeper Jane Ijirigho, Favour Nkwocha, Tosin Rafiu, Queen Joseph and Precious Oscar are also expected to play key roles, bringing experience from the recent FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

Busari expressed confidence in his players’ teamwork and tactical flexibility, while acknowledging that the young squad would need time to develop further.

However, Poland are expected to provide a stern test after securing qualification with a 2-0 victory over England in a UEFA play-off. Midfielder Zofia Burzan scored both goals and also recorded four goals at the European U-17 Championship.

Poland reached the quarter-finals during their debut appearance at the 2024 edition of the tournament.

Nigeria are making their ninth appearance at the competition, where their best result came in 2022. The Flamingos finished third after defeating Germany on penalties in the third-place play-off in India.

Following their opening fixture, Nigeria will face Puerto Rico on October 20 before taking on defending champions Korea DPR on October 23. Korea DPR have won the tournament four times.

The top two teams in each group, alongside the four best third-placed teams, will progress to the Round of 16.